21-02-2025
Florida teachers remind immigrant students to look past barriers
The big story: With all the attention being paid to tougher immigration enforcement, the message might get lost on some students that their status does not have to define them.
Children can find success in education and beyond, overcoming obstacles along the way.
That's the message that Palm Beach County teacher Carla Rodas brings to her students at John I. Leonard High, where about 70% of the population is Hispanic. Rodas herself was an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala growing up.
'It wasn't our choice to come here. We were brought here for a better future,' Rodas told the Palm Beach Post. 'But we can make it. We aren't going anywhere.' Read more here.
Classroom walls: Pasco County schools are moving away from the 'open school' model that built classroom pods without walls. Educators say the distractions were too many.
College presidents: Trustees named a 15-person search committee and hired a search firm to begin looking for a replacement for retiring Rhea Law. • The Board of Governors formally approved new presidents for Florida International and Florida Atlantic universities, News Service of Florida reports.
History lessons: Families sending their children to a microschool in Miami's Overtown neighborhood say their children are excited to learn more about Black history, the Miami Herald reports.
Legislation: A state senator has filed legislation to remove restrictions on work hours and break times for employed teens, Florida Phoenix reports. • A state senator is proposing new measures to track and improve upon student chronic absenteeism, WPBF reports.
Preservation: The Escambia County school district will sell an historic school for Black students to the city of Pensacola as part of a future affordable housing project, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.
School buses: Central Florida school districts looking to update their aging bus fleets are being confronted with fast-rising costs, WKMG reports.
Teacher shortage: The Lee County school district aims to encourage high school juniors and seniors to consider becoming teachers through its 'Building on our Legacy' program, WINK reports.
University research: Florida Institute of Technology has revamped its underused manufacturing design center to be an applied innovation hub, Florida Today reports. • Florida State University leaders are bracing for cuts in federal research grants totaling as much as $65 million, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
From the police blotter ... Leon County high school student was arrested on allegations of bringing a hatchet to school, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. • A giant brawl broke out at Gadsden County High School, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. At least one student was injured, WCTV reports.
From the court docket ... A former Palm Beach County elementary school teacher pleaded guilty to charges that he tried to have sex with a minor teenager, the Palm Beach Post reports.
Don't miss a story. Yesterday's roundup is just a click away.
Before you go ... Enjoy this gypsy jazz version of Claire de Lune.
